Berri Meets World Powers Envoys, Urges Meeting Army Needs
Speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday summoned the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly, stressing to them the need to quickly equip the Lebanese armed forces, even if that required “bypassing the routine mechanism.”
Berri met with the envoys at his Ain al-Tineh headquarters, explaining “the threats that Lebanon is facing, which were manifested in the incidents that the Arsal region suffered and is still suffering at the hands of terrorist groups.”
The parliament speaker warned that other Lebanese regions might witness similar terrorist attacks and deadly clashes.
On August 2, deadly fighting erupted in and around Arsal, which borders Syria, leaving 19 soldiers, 16 civilians and dozens of jihadists dead. The clashes ended with a truce negotiated by Lebanese Sunni clerics, but the jihadists withdrew from the area taking around 34 captive security personnel with them.
In the wake of the battle, Washington announced that it will quickly offer military aid to the army as Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil sought Moscow's assistance.
Saudi Arabia has also donated a billion dollars to the Lebanese army but it is still unclear how the amount will be spent.
Berri called on the international community, “topped by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, to quickly support the Lebanese army and security forces, and to bypass the customary and routine mechanism to meet these pressing needs as soon as possible.”
For his part, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale warned after the talks that the Islamic State and other extremist groups were seeking to stir chaos in the region, which also poses a threat a Lebanon.
He also urged the Lebanese to show unity and to put an end to the protracting presidential vacuum.
Y.R.
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